


Tales from Another Broken Home

by BrainStewed



Series: Tales from Another Broken Home [1]
Category: Green Day, Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (Album)
Genre: American Idiot - Freeform, F/M, Gloria's dad sucks, Jingletown, Running Away, domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 14:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10946016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrainStewed/pseuds/BrainStewed
Summary: Gloria nodded, keeping her gaze pointed at the carpet. The two were silent. Christian didn’t even have to ask anymore, he knew Gloria’s story by heart at this point. It never changed.





	Tales from Another Broken Home

Gloria touched her cheek. It still stung. The glowing pink had not yet faded and neither did the tear-stains. The bed creaked under her as she shifted around, failing greatly at any attempt to get comfortable. The static-riddled noise of the barely-functioning television still managed to reach her room. This house was never quiet. There was always too much noise, too much yelling. Gloria was no stranger to the sound of plates and picture frames shattering. Even when the fights didn’t come to throwing things, there was the inevitable screaming match in the kitchen. Nobody wins, nobody leaves happy, the fight was pointless, but seemed now like a necessary evil. 

 

Gloria kicked her shoes off and crouched at the foot of the bed. She dug around under her mattress and pulled out a crumpled, mostly-empty pack of cigarettes. She sat on the floor, looking more defeated than ever before. Dale’s fist was about the only thing that hadn’t been thrown at her, until now. Closing her eyes, she took a long drag from her cigarette. The smoke left her mouth in a shaky breath. It took everything she had not to set the room on fire. Dale frustrated and confused her to no end. Nothing in this house would ever feel like home, and she had to wonder whether or not she had a home anymore. 

 

A quiet but firm tapping against an already cracked window pulled her out of her thoughts. A familiar face sat outside, waving, giving a hopeful fraction of a smile. Gloria lifted up the window and held a finger to her lips. Christian nodded, making his way through the small entrance as quietly as possible whilst wearing combat boots. Both stood still for a moment, expecting the worst, hoping for the best. Gloria shut the window.

 

“Not that I don’t appreciate the visit,” She started while Christian dusted off the shoulders of his jacket. “But you came at kind of a bad time.”

 

She fell onto the bed and sighed. The light from her bedside lamp was barely enough for Christian to make out the pale pink still stuck on her cheek. He frowned at the ugly scene it painted in his mind.

 

“You had another fight?”

Gloria nodded, keeping her gaze pointed at the carpet. The two were silent. Christian didn’t even have to ask anymore, he knew Gloria’s story by heart at this point. It never changed. 

 

“What was it about?” 

 

Gloria just shook her head and stuck her tongue into her cheek. Christian had known her long enough to recognize it as anger. 

 

“It was about you, funny enough.” Her words had become so quiet they almost sounded like a single breath. Christian shifted his weight onto his heels. 

 

“He thinks you’re a bad influence, or something like that.” She almost laughed. “As if he isn’t bad enough.” Gloria took another drag and tossed the cigarette to the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chin and sighed. Christian knelt in front of her.

 

“We should get out of here.”

 

Gloria tilted her head up.

 

“And go to your house? Dale would kill us.”

 

“I don't mean the house.” Christian reached out and squeezed Gloria's shoulder.

 

“Out of-”

 

“Out of this shit show of a town.” Christian finished. “This place is garbage, Lori, this house is garbage. You get treated like a dog and it's disgusting.” 

 

Gloria pursed her loops and looked down at the carpet. He was right. She'd given thought to running away before, hell she'd done it a thousand times, but it felt so scary now. Maybe because this time it was more than the side-effects of teen angst, this time she would do it. She needed to do it. 

 

“How are we gonna do this?” She asked, her voice still uncertain. Christian stood and paced the small space.

 

“We can take a bus out to the city. We'll get a sleazy apartment or move in with a bunch of students or something.” 

 

“Where do we get the money?”  
Gloria gestured to a few dollar bills poking from the drawer of her bedside table.  
“I've got about a hundred bucks.” she shrugged. Christian hummed, deep in thought.

 

“The seven-eleven. I'll grab some cash from the register and we'll book it out of here.” 

 

Gloria tried to hide the grin spreading over her face. Christian returned to his place, kneeling in front of her.

 

“Lori, we can do this. Dale probably has a stash somewhere, right?” 

 

Gloria nodded hesitantly. 

 

“He keeps some in the kitchen, sure-”

 

“Then that's it! That's all we need!” Christian smiled wide and took Gloria's hand. 

 

“But when do we leave?”  
“Tomorrow.”  
“Tomorrow?”  
“Tomorrow!” Gloria couldn't help but laugh at Christian's goofy smile. He took both her hands and pulled her up from the bed.

 

“Pack your stuff, get your cash, and by midnight tomorrow we're saying good riddance to this town forever, okay?”  
Gloria's smile could light up the room. Out of jingletown. Forever.


End file.
